About

We know that school funding policies are often arbitrary and don’t align with what students need to succeed. Policymakers and advocates are left to make critical decisions about their school finance formulas without the benefit of relevant or translatable research.

In some cases, the research is simply not aligned to policymakers’ questions. Where it exists, research is rarely accessible and actionable. Researchers, advocates, and policymakers rarely connect.

EdFund is addressing this critical gap in four ways: We curate existing research and identify policy-relevant questions; commission research to address gaps; communicate digestible, actionable insights; and connect a diverse group of researchers, policymakers, and advocates.

Our Team

EdFund’s work is generally shared between two divisions: research and policy. Our research division is focused on working with advocates and policymakers to develop an in-demand research agenda and oversees our direct financial investment in diverse, actionable research projects. Our policy and communications division is responsible for ensuring that research related to school funding is translated for the press, advocates, and decision makers in a digestible and engaging manner.

Rebecca Sibilia

Marvelous Mayor

Rebecca Sibilia is the Executive Director of EdFund. Prior to starting the organization, Rebecca served as a Senior Program Officer for Policy and Finance at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Rebecca also launched and led EdBuild, a five-year project focused on raising national awareness related to the inequitable outcomes stemming from arbitrary school funding policies across the country. EdBuild’s work was featured on NPR, in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times and Time, Newsweek, and the Atlantic Magazine, and has been cited in seven Presidential candidates’ platforms.

Galactic Gatekeeper

Sharon serves as Director of Operations for EdFund, managing day-to-day operations, partnership development, copyediting and product development, and events planning.

Officer of Overthinking

Nell Williams serves as Director of Research at EdFund. A former middle school teacher, Nell's time in the classroom was marked by the stark differences in educational resources, class sizes, and support staff that teachers recognize as the hallmarks of inequity in U.S. schools. To investigate the root causes and implications of these inequities, and to learn about potential remedies and policy solutions, Nell earned a Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before joining EdFund.

Support Sage

Heather Gomez is the Executive Assistant at EdFund, where she manages scheduling, travel planning, event coordination, and an array of additional responsibilities. Prior to joining EdFund, Heather worked for the Department of Defense as an Industrial Insulation Specialist. She also previously worked in the financial sector as a General Manager for a rapidly growing tax and financial firm. These diverse experiences give her a unique skill set, allowing her to bring a blend of organizational awareness and adaptability to her role at EdFund.

Axiomatic Axolotl

Marc is the Lead Developer at EdFund and brings over 20 years of experience in full-stack web development. He supports EdFund's mission by overseeing all web initiatives and translating complex policy concepts to a general audience through engaging interactive tools.

Supportive Samaritan

Julian Roy is a Computer Science Fellow at EdFund. Currently, Julian is a Senior at Columbia University studying Computer Science and Russian Language. Julian also has experience volunteering with non-native English speakers to help them receive medical care, improve conversational English, and continue education. Julian is interested in using software engineering, data engineering, and research skills to develop technical solutions that will empower communities and improve student lives.

Evil Emperor

Matt Richmond is an Advisor to EdFund. Matt is an education finance and policy consultant who works with nonprofits, foundations, and state governments around the country on issues of K–12 and higher-education finance. He was previously the chief program officer of EdBuild and a Fulbright fellow. Matt has a Masters in International Development from the University of Pittsburgh and Bachelors in Economics and Political Science from the University of North Carolina.

Mischievous Mastermind

Liza Schwartzwald is the Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at EdFund. Prior to joining the EdFund team, Liza served as the Senior Policy Strategist at the New York Immigration Coalition, where she won over $600M in state and local funding for underserved immigrant youth and low-income communities in New York State. Liza worked to originate the first-of-its-kind child care voucher program serving children without immigration status in New York City (Promise NYC) and is the co-founder of New Yorkers United for Childcare, which brings parent organizing to the forefront of the childcare conversation. She is a trained mediator, attorney, and social worker.

Community Chronicler

Shrien Alshabasy is the Director of Outreach and Engagement at EdFund. She was the first communications specialist at Teachers College Record, where she translated education research for wider audiences. Shrien is passionate about leveraging research to create real change in the educational realities for public school students and stakeholders. A dedicated educator and advocate for equality, she mentors with Girls Write Now, teaches English Literature with Scholars for Educational Opportunity, and supports historically marginalized students in creative expression.